Alberta.

• Author: Orydzuk, Micheline
• Position: Legislative Reports

The Spring Sitting of the First Session of the Twenty-Sixth Legislature adjourned on May 24, 2005 after 42 sitting days for a total of just over 223 sitting hours. By the conclusion of the sitting, 40 Government Bills, two Private Members' Public Bills and three Private Bills were passed by the Assembly. Two Government Bills and one Private Bill were left on the Order Paper in addition to other Private Members' Business items.

Emergency Debate

On May 10, 2005, Brian Mason, Leader of the New Democrat Opposition, requested leave to move that the ordinary business of the Assembly be adjourned for an emergency debate regarding "the ongoing suffering of residents in long-term care facilities in Alberta", as identified by the May 2005 report of the Auditor General. The report, which had been released the previous day, concluded that basic standards of care were not being met in several of the facilities investigated. While Speaker Kenneth Kowalski ruled in favour of the motion, he expressed concern with the "provocative wording" of the motion. The Assembly had not had a Standing Order 30 application proceed since 2000, when one was held regarding a health care strike. At that time, the standings in the Assembly were similar to what they are now.

Two earlier Standing Order 30 requests regarding a controversy surrounding the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) were ruled out of order by Speaker Kowalski. On April 27, 2005, the Official Opposition requested an emergency debate be held to discuss the loss of investor confidence in the ASC after it was revealed that the Minister of Finance had been sent a letter by ASC staff expressing concern with their work environment, the ASC's enforcement practices and the potential impact on Alberta's capital markets. The Speaker ruled that while the matter was serious, it did not constitute a genuine emergency.

On May 5, 2005, a second request for an emergency debate was made after the ASC filed an originating notice against the Auditor General challenging his jurisdiction to conduct an audit of the agency. The request was ruled out of order by Speaker Kowalski who indicated that he did not want to set a precedent which would make it difficult for future Speakers to rule anything out of order for sub judice reasons.

Privilege

On May 17, 2005, Tony Abbott, (PC, Drayton Valley-Calmar), made certain comments to the media in reaction to Belinda Stronach crossing the floor of the House of Commons. These comments...